On The Bridge
by hannahfftry1
Summary: A one shot between Aaron and Robert, set at the end of tonight's episode (16th March). As a slightly alternative look to what we saw on screen. I just felt the urge to write this and hope someone enjoys it!
**One shot, set at the end of the 16th March 2016 episode, Robert and Aaron. Wasn't Emmerdale great viewing tonight? A one shot scene, set on the bridge for an alternative ending to the episode.**

* * *

Aaron left the pub, claiming to need air. Chas moved to follow him, but Robert put a hand on her shoulder to stop her and shook his head. "No. Give him ten minutes," he said firmly. "You go after him now, he'll only lash out." Chas didn't like being told what to do, especially by Robert but she nodded.

By the time ten minutes had passed, she looked at Robert. "Maybe you should… he won't talk to me anyway." Robert felt delighted, he'd planned to follow Aaron anyway, but he hadn't been about to get in Chas's way when she was on the war path.

* * *

"I came here to be alone," Aaron said pointedly as Robert walked close to him across the bridge. Robert didn't take the point. He had no intention of leaving Aaron alone when he was clearly torturing himself.

"This isn't your fault," he said quietly.

"You know what?" Aaron said, shaking his head. "I should just have kept my mouth shut. I should never have told you what he did to me. It's all unravelled from there."

"Aaron," Robert said softly. "Would you be dead now if you hadn't?" He didn't answer, because he couldn't. His self harm had been getting out of hand, and he knew it. "It's better to talk than keep it secret."

"You have no idea," Aaron said, both angry and upset. "I buried it for years and I managed. I could cope with it. I could live my life. But now?" he wiped away the tears angrily. "Now it's like… it's all I can think about. When I close my eyes, I see him. It's so present it frightens me. I'm more scared of him now than I've been in years. I should never have told you."

"Aaron, you haven't done anything wrong," he said. Robert couldn't regret the fact that Aaron had been honest with him. Even if the worst happened and Gordon got found not guilty, he knew the truth now. He wouldn't swap that for ignorance, not ever.

"He'll lie in court," Aaron said. "He'll lie and put on a performance and I'll be the one who suffers. Again." He wiped away the tears angrily. "What do I do when he gets off?"

"He won't," Robert said.

Aaron scoffed. "You don't know that. He could. He probably will. I'll be branded the liar."

"Aaron…"

He turned and looked at him directly. "You know me better than anyone, Robert." He shook his head. "And even you… when you talked to him, even you started to question whether I was telling the truth. At first. What will a bunch of strangers think?"

"Even if he walks free, he'll never touch you again." He looked at Aaron, who flinched away from his words and realised he'd touched a nerve. "That's what frightens you, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Aaron admitted, looking down, feeling ashamed that after all this time he could still feel like this. "Yeah, it is."

"He won't get near you," Robert repeated. "I promise."

"You seem to make a lot of promises to me you can't keep," Aaron said, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Hey," Robert said. "I believe in you." He pulled him into a hug, unable to simply leave Aaron there, falling apart on his own. "I'm here for you."

"This is never going to end."

"It will," Robert said into his shoulder. "It isn't going to be easy, but it will end one way or another." Robert let him go and Aaron nodded. There seemed to be nothing left to say.

"Well you came here to be alone," Robert said. "So I'll go."

He turned and had only walked a couple of steps when Aaron called him back. "Robert?" he turned and looked at him, waiting. "Thank you for being there today. At the court."

"I half wondered if you'd kick me out," he said. "You said you didn't want me there."

"Didn't think I did," Aaron said. "Go, I'll be fine on my own." Robert did, feeling like he'd probably crowded him enough for one day. Aaron stood looking over the water, wondering how Robert had this ability to make him feel a little better, even when things seemed so dark that he couldn't see which way was up.


End file.
